Then where did the refugees come from? :: Reader comments at Daniel Pipes

Submitted by Happyirish (United Kingdom), Jun 23, 2011 at 04:14

... Maybe someone can answer these questions?

1. Where did the refugees come from? Did they sell their homes and then suddenly say, "Ooops, we forgot to buy another house"?

2. If they bought the land, then why were terrorist groups like the Stern gang or Irgun operating?

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Daniel Pipes replies:

1. A paragraph from my review of Karsh's book, cited in my column:

Palestinians fled in a wide range of circumstances and for varied reasons. Arab commanders ordered noncombatants out of the way of military maneuvers; or they threatened laggards with treatment as traitors if they stayed; or they demanded that villages be evacuated to improve their standing on the battlefield; or they promised a safe return in a matter of days. Some communities preferred to flee rather than to sign a truce with the Zionists; in the words of Jaffa's mayor, "I do not mind destruction of Jaffa if we secure destruction of Tel Aviv." The mufti's agents attacked Jews to provoke hostilities. Families with the means to do so fled danger. When agricultural tenants heard that their landlords would be punished, they worried about being expelled and preempted by abandoning the land. Bitter internecine enmities hobbled planning. Shortages of food and other necessities spread. Services like water-pumping stations were abandoned. Fears spread of Arab gunmen, as did rumors of Zionist atrocities.

2. They were primarily fighting the British but also the Palestinian terrorist groups.